YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

I had the opportunity to spend some time last night with Margie
Blackley, the wife of Chaplain Bill Blackley who went home to be with
Jesus on Friday evening. Margie and Bill will have been married for 61
years in just a few weeks. Chaplain Bill has been in ministry for almost
their entire married life.

In talking with Margie, she shared with me several stories of how
Chaplain Bill had made a difference in someone's life by just being
dressed up when he went into a restaurant. She shared a story of how we
was headed to the rest room and a man sitting alone at a table called to
Chaplain Bill, "Hey, did you pray for me today?" Blackley, looked at the
man and realized he was a total stranger, smiled and waved and walked
into the men's room. When he came out, he walked over to the man, and
again the man said, "Did you pray for me today?"

Blackley was curious as to why the man asked the question. The man said,
"I figured you must be a preacher 'cause of the way your dressed. Will
you pray for me?" Right there in the restaurant, Chaplain Bill had the
opportunity to share Christ and prayed with this total stranger. He made
a difference in the life of this man.

The question was asked, "Can one person really make a difference in the
world today?" Listen to what one writer said: "One New Yorker thought
so. He was so determined to be complimentary to every person he saw,
every day. A friend asked him, 'Do you even compliment cab drivers?' The
man said, 'Certainly! If I am nice to one cab driver, he's likely to be
nice to the next twenty fares, at a minimum. If they are in turn nicer
to the shopkeepers, waitresses, and their own families, that one gesture
of goodwill might influence a least a thousand people.'

'Now, if only three people that I talk to today have a happier day
because of what I say to them, I might indirectly influence the attitude
of 3,000 people. If a few of those I talk to are teachers, or people who
have contact with more than the usual number of people . . . why my good
mood might touch more than 10,000 lives. Not one thing I do today is
likely to have that kind of impact!" (adapted from God's Little
Devotional Book for Leaders, published by Honor Books).

So what about you ... are you willing to make a difference today in
someone's life? It could have a rippled effect that could turn this
world upside down! Think about it.

Join us on Thursday evening, October 12th for our first Men's Fellowship
night of the new season. Dinner begins at 6:15 PM followed by a time of
worship, testimony and a challenge from the Word. Our speaker this month
is Pastor Ed Hlad. Following the gathering, you may use the Activity
Center. Call today for reservations: 732-350-1187.